


A Family of Scars

by BrianneABanana



Category: RWBY
Genre: discussion of dangerous situations, slight injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:29:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24724570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrianneABanana/pseuds/BrianneABanana
Summary: Scars are reminders. Reminders of failure, moments of inadequacy, harsh truths and loss. The marks left often by others can break or mend, even strengthen relationships. But sometimes, scars are simply something cool you share with the ones you love.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen & Weiss Schnee, Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Comments: 6
Kudos: 57





	A Family of Scars

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to [thedarkpoet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedarkpoet/) for Beta-reading! and reminding me that apostrophes are a thing lol

When Qrow woke up that morning, he didn’t feel the best. He wasn’t sick; no shroud of dread clouded his mood, but there was just a little feeling in his stomach that something was going to mess up his day.

Hours later, midway through a patrol with Weiss around Mantle’s outer wall, that  _ little something _ reared its head. While keeping a pack of sabyrs away from the wall and subsequently protecting an outgoing supply truck full of dust from getting blown into the atmosphere, Qrow got a little too up close and personal with one of the Grimm. 

Now, he was sitting cross legged in a hospital bed, head in his hands, a thick technology bandage over his left eye, and one Weiss Schnee lecturing him about his non-existent self preservation skills. Qrow didn’t have it in him to do anything other than smile at her words, however. 

The two of them had actually grown close since their arrival in Atlas. Weiss had come to respect Qrow for going sober for his family, and connected to him over his falling out with his sister. Of all people, she knew how it felt when being betrayed by who you thought was family, and while she still had her older sister, Qrow had become a part of her family alongside her team too. 

As for Qrow, he also came to respect Weiss. Though his respect was for her becoming stronger away from her family name, accepting the love of those who loved her unconditionally, and for that one time when she cussed out her dad during a training session! Gods he had laughed so hard hearing those words... 

“What are you laughing at? Are you listening to me Qrow?”

_ Oh right, she had been lambasting him over his eye injury. _ “Sorry Ice Princess, I zoned out there for a second. Why don’t you hop up here with me?” he asked, patting the bed in front of him. “Maybe I’ll stay focused if you're on  _ eye level _ with me.”

Weiss huffed and joined him on the uncomfortable bed, folding her legs daintily and leveling him with an unimpressed look, “Don’t joke like that! I  _ said _ , that was a reckless move you know! You didn’t have to take that sabyr on up close! Harbinger has a shotgun for dust's sake, why did you have to get within clawing range to bring it down?” 

Qrow sent her back a childish smirk, “Cuz it was so cool! Don’t you agree that it was cool Weiss? Besides, I didn’t want it getting close to the trucks; with my luck they would’ve blown sky high with the faintest breeze!”  _ He was, of course, exaggerating the potential for disaster that was present then.  _ The sabyr hadn’t been going for the trucks at all, but he still wanted to stop it before it got too close to the wall and alerted someone. That would’ve only brought in more Grimm and he didn’t have the patience for that.

His excuse had Weiss wringing her hands. She wilted a little. “Well even so… you got  _ hurt _ over it. And the doctor said-”

“The doctor said I’ll need to keep this fancy Atlesian eye patch on for a week or two. I’ll be fine, Ice Princess” he said, his voice softening. His tone also shifted from teasing to comforting. “Atlas has amazing medical technology; so as long as I follow doctors orders I don’t think I’ll be down an eye anytime soon. And remember how I said I was cool? Well if this scars, we’ll match and we’ll be cool together” he joked, pointing to her eye scar. “Well, cooler I should say. We already  _ have _ matching scars.” He said, gesturing to their scars on their right sides.

Before Weiss could ask about the origins of that particular scar, Winter arrived in the doorway to the small hospital room. “Qrow, I heard you were hurt during your mission today. What's this about matching scars?” She eyed her sister, trying to find an account of an injury she couldn’t remember.

The huntsman in question replied, “Oh, I was just telling Weiss that even if my eye doesn’t scar, we already have matching ones.” His face fell. “Did she not tell you about Haven?” Qrow knew how overprotective Winter could be. She was doing her best to look after her sister but she had a strangely harsh way of showing her younger sister she cared. It’s possible that that was why Weiss didn’t say anything. Her elder sister would’ve most likely blown things out of proportion or scolded her for something.

Both adults turned to the younger Schnee, who shrunk away at their attention; Winter staring her down with a look of vexation, and Qrow silently apologizing for bringing it up at all. Weiss sheepishly answered, “Well no, I didn’t tell Winter about it actually. It wasn’t that bad… just- I was slightly… impaled is all-”

“WHAT?” Winter all but shrieked. She coughed into her fist to compose herself so that she could properly reprimand Qrow, “How did you let that happen?? I thought letting them steal a ship was bad enough but-” 

“Winter!” Weiss called, halting her sisters chastising. “Qrow was doing his best during that battle, he was fighting his sister Raven at the time. There was only so much he could do and besides, I was holding my own until then. Yes, you heard about our...  _ theft _ \- but you didn’t hear about how Qrow fought alongside us, protected us, and supported us by simply  _ being there _ . He has changed since you knew him, Winter, and I consider him to be more of a parent to me than either of our own. He’s a much better person than Father, even though that isn’t hard, and he’s gone sober, unlike Mother.” 

She took Qrow's hand in hers as she finished and he held hers back. He almost didn’t know what to say, not expecting to be defended like this by the younger Schnee. “Thank you Weiss, it uh… means a lot to me that you would think so highly of an old- of.. Of me.”

Winter settles at her sister's words, her frown unfurling. “Well, then it seems I owe you an apology Qrow. I did not consider that you had changed from the man I previously knew you as. Would you mind… telling me what's happened to bring about these changes? Along with how exactly my sister got  _ impaled  _ of course.”

Before he could answer, the second interruption of the day came, this time in the form of one Clover Ebi knocking on the door frame. He looked a little frantic, probably having heard about Qrow’s injury and subsequent hospital visit. 

“Hey Lucky Charm,” Qrow beckoned, “come join us. I was about to start a badass story.” 

Clover jogged in to sit on Qrow's left side, opposite Winter. He acknowledged the Schnee sisters with a simple ‘Hello’ to each of them before cupping his partners cheek. “Before you start, what did the doctor say about your eye?” 

Qrow covered Clover's hand with his, “The doctor said I won’t lose my vision at all, at least as long as I wear this fancy eye patch for 2 weeks. That damn sabyr’s claw nicked my pupil but not irreparably. It’ll scar, but that just means that Weiss and I will match now!” 

Weiss giggled hearing Qrow's excuse of an ‘upside’ to his injury, which thankfully relaxed Clover. “I’m glad to hear you’ll be alright then,” he said, relieved as he gently thumbed the apple of Qrow's cheek. Winter shook her head with the slightest smile. Qrow chuckled with them until Clover cleared his throat, “So! what's this story you were going to tell?” 

Winter jumped in then, “I had asked Qrow to tell me the stories behind the matching scars that he and Weiss apparently both have already. On the right side of their ribs, correct?” 

Qrow nodded, “Yea, Weiss got her scar there when we were at Haven. As I was going to explain to Winter, Weiss was impaled by a solidified fire javelin that Cinder Fall had thrown while she wasn’t looking.” 

“That move was unfair!” Weiss countered, “I could’ve dodged it if I’d seen it coming!” 

“You absolutely would have, Ice Princess. Even back then you’d become stronger than before Beacon. Still, you got lucky that Jaune unlocked his semblance right there! Without him to amplify your aura to heal you, you might’ve bit it.”

Winter was stunned, “That’s what happened? Weiss, what were you doing that you didn’t see her attack coming?” 

“I was fighting Raven’s friend Vernal. And to remind you, Qrow was fighting Raven at the time.”

Qrow took the story back, “After Weiss was hit, Jaune had unlocked his semblance in an effort to help her and uh, make up for a past loss.”

A somber silence started creeping in, but Weiss cleared it away. “Jaune saved me. He would’ve made her proud.” Gentle smiles from the three adults accompanied her statement. They hadn’t known Pyrrha like Weiss and the other kids had, but the young girl’s sincerity bled through and convinced them that she spoke the truth.

“Anyways,” she said, waving on the conversation, “what about  _ your _ scar Qrow? I’m sure you got a plethora of bruises from being punched with electric dust fists by Hazel, but you didn’t get cut during that battle. Was it from before then?”

Qrow hummed and took Clovers' suddenly tense hand. _ She just had to mention the electric dust fists _ , he thought. “You’re right Weiss, I had plenty of bruises, but nothing lasting. This scar I got when Ruby, Jaune, Nora, and Ren were traveling to Haven academy. I’d been trailing them, keeping out of sight to avoid my semblance causing them problems, but they encountered one of Salem’s generals, so I had to step in. During the fight, my semblance flared and I had to save Ruby, but that opened me up for getting grazed by the bastard.” 

“How is it that it scarred if it was only a graze?” Winter asked. 

Qrow's face darkened, “Well the cut itself wasn’t particularly bad, it was rather shallow actually, but it took us a while to get to civilization from where we were when it happened. That, coupled with the poison and poor bandages we had, made sure it scarred.”

“What wait, poison?” Clover asked his hand tensing around Qrow's more, “Who- who was this general?” 

“Ah, you might know him actually, considering he’s a famous serial killer. The name Tyrian Callows ring any bells?”

Clover and Winter’s jaws dropped. Clover found his voice first, “Tyrian Callows? Of course! He was a serial killer slated to be transported to Atlas, but his transport was attacked and he was never seen or heard from again! He’s killed upwards of a hundred people…”

“How did you survive?” Winter asked quietly, unsettled.

Qrow crossed his arms, trying not to outwardly show his indignation, “Somehow, I got lucky. After the first night the poison had really set in, and the kids were stuck carrying me to Haven. Our saving grace came in the form of a Haven sky patrol that had seen the kids fighting a Knucklavee in an abandoned village nearby. It was close, admittedly, but I made it! And you better believe the next time I see that bastard, his tail won’t be the only thing getting cut off...”

Weiss gave a long and dramatic sigh following his story. “I know for a fact that you omitted an egregious amount of detail in that story, but since you’re hurt and I’m tired, I won’t push you for details.” She gracefully hopped off the bed with a huff, “I’ll just go ask Ruby about it. Bye Qrow, if I see you without that eye patch on in the next two weeks I’ll give you another scar somewhere!”

“Aw, threatening to make me look even cooler? Thanks Princess! Tell Ruby I said hey, and I’ll visit her later.”

Weiss waved and excused herself, softly closing the door behind herself with a click. Winter followed suit, “I’d better go as well, I’m meeting with Freiya today. It was certainly...  _ enlightening _ , talking with you today Qrow. Take care.” She turned around and walked out without so much of a wave or pause to hear a reply, but it didn’t feel as cold as it used to.

Qrow turned back to his partner, slight disappointment yet hope in his visible eye, “Do I get to keep you Cloves? Or do you have to leave me too?” Ok his mouth was in a little pout now. He knew he was using his injury and Clover's love for him to his advantage, but who could blame him?

“No, I mean, yes I can- I’ll stay.” Clover answered, a bit flustered by the sudden change in his boyfriend’s mood. He took a seat on the bed like Weiss had done earlier, but next to Qrow instead of across from him. Qrow scooted over to accommodate him, shifting sideways to face Clover better, who in turn mirrored him, laying sideways. Clover placed a hand lightly on Qrow's right side where the older man had pointed to earlier. He felt him freeze for just a moment, almost regretting his action, but relaxed when Qrow did. 

“I’m guessing you wanna know the full story?” Qrow asked. To Clover’s ears, Qrow sounded pleasantly resigned, accepting that Clover would ask for details after his subtle worrying showed through earlier. Knowing Qrow like he did however, Clover suspected that he still had reservations about this particular story. 

He moved his hand off Qrow's side, looking his boyfriend in his eye, “If you’re willing to tell it.”

Qrow nodded, “Yea, I’ll tell you. We might run into him later anyways, so it would be good for you to know what  _ history _ we have.” 

He spent the next 15 minutes or so telling Clover all the little details of that adventure: his decision to trail the kids through Mistral, the meet-and-fight with Tyrian, his injury and developing symptoms, even the nightmares he could remember having as Ruby and Jaune carried him through the abandoned back roads of the mountainous countryside.

“The doctors said that if I didn’t get to Haven when I did, it would’ve only been another few hours before I kicked the bucket.” Qrow trailed off at the end of his story, doing his best to not make light of what happened, but also not make Clover stress over what was in the past.

Despite Qrow’s efforts, Clover couldn’t stop the slight whine that left his throat. Just the thought of Qrow being so close to death before they had met… it was unsettling. What if Callows had cut any deeper? What if the kids hadn’t fought that Grimm and gotten the patrols attention? Was Callows still-

“Hey! Are you still in there Lucky Charm?” Qrow called. He shimmied closer and ran his fingers through Clover’s hair to get his attention back, “You spaced out there for a second. What’re you thinkin’ about?” He had an idea of what was going through the man's mind, but he wanted to hear it from Clover himself. It would help him work through his feelings about Qrow’s experience.

Clover hummed in response to the fingers running over his scalp. He scooted closer too and wrapped an arm around Qrow. “Sorry… I was just thinking about all the possibilities; if you didn’t make it, if the kids didn’t get help in time... and the fact that Callows is still out there and- and I-”

“Hey calm down Cloves,” Qrow soothed, “you don’t have to worry about any of that. I survived, I’m right here with you. And if Callows crosses my path again I’ll be sure to keep away from his stinger… if he somehow gets a new one after Ruby cut his off!” Qrow smiled, his comment earning a chuckle from the younger man. “Listen Clover, the past is the past, and as hypocritical it is of me to say, we shouldn’t dwell on the ‘ifs’. Back then we hadn’t met yet, so you wouldn’t have been worried for me or sad if I had died. But, I will say that because I survived, and because I’ve met you here in Atlas, I know that in the future I won’t have to worry. I won’t be alone. I’ve got the kids, and you, ya know? Now-” Qrow sat up and straddled Clover, quickly kissing him passionately, “check me out of here and take me back to your place so I can show you my cool scar.” 

He winked a moment before remembering that he was wearing an eyepatch.

“Aye aye, captain!” 

  
“You’re  _ insufferable _ .”


End file.
